What do you think?
Rate this book
The Merman
While vacationing in Scotland, Zeta encounters a rather unusual fellow. He's a terrific swimmer. He chats with seals. And he has a fishtail.
Zeta meets a merman.
With his gleaming, silvery scales, Marinus is definitely not you average summer friend. Who else could show Zeta how to swim, take her for a dip with some basking sharks and painlessly teach her everything from astronomy to French? So, while her parents try to figure out why she now refuses to eat mackerel, Zeta has the adventure of her life. And as her summer ends, Zeta knows she'll miss Marinus terribly.
Luckily, Marinus has one last surprise in store for Zeta -- one that will last a lifetime...
With good humor, charm, and a splash of magic, The Merman is the tale of a fantastic friendship by the author of The Gallant Pig , Dick King-Smith.
Zeta meets a merman.
With his gleaming, silvery scales, Marinus is definitely not you average summer friend. Who else could show Zeta how to swim, take her for a dip with some basking sharks and painlessly teach her everything from astronomy to French? So, while her parents try to figure out why she now refuses to eat mackerel, Zeta has the adventure of her life. And as her summer ends, Zeta knows she'll miss Marinus terribly.
Luckily, Marinus has one last surprise in store for Zeta -- one that will last a lifetime...
With good humor, charm, and a splash of magic, The Merman is the tale of a fantastic friendship by the author of The Gallant Pig , Dick King-Smith.
102 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
4 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Dick King-Smith
328 books308 followersDick King-Smith was born and raised in Gloucestershire, England, surrounded by pet animals. After twenty years as a farmer, he turned to teaching and then to writing children's books.
Dick writes mostly about animals: farmyard fantasy, as he likes to call it, often about pigs, his special favorites. He enjoys writing for children, meeting the children who read his books, and knowing that they get enjoyment from what he does.
Among his well-loved books is Babe, The Gallant Pig, which was recently made into a major motion picture, and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Dick lived with his wife in a small 17th-century cottage, about three miles from the house where he was born.
Dick writes mostly about animals: farmyard fantasy, as he likes to call it, often about pigs, his special favorites. He enjoys writing for children, meeting the children who read his books, and knowing that they get enjoyment from what he does.
Among his well-loved books is Babe, The Gallant Pig, which was recently made into a major motion picture, and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Dick lived with his wife in a small 17th-century cottage, about three miles from the house where he was born.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 11, 2020
This children’s novel is the story of how 10 year old Zeta meets a merman while on a family vacation in Scotland. The merman, Marinus, teaches her to swim, and many other things about the fantastical ocean world.
I read this book due to recognizing the author of two classic children’s novels, Babe and The Water Horse.
I found the writing pretty good - whimsical and engaging - but I simply could not get past the plot!
A little kid is being invited and encouraged to sneak out behind her parent’s backs, early each morning while they are asleep, in order to go have lessons alone with a grown man - or, merman. I know that this is intended to be an endearing kid’s book with friendship themes, but I kept cringing!
The merman, Marinus, is described by Zeta as being a younger man, presumably looking to be in his 20’s in 30’s, despite his white hair (he is actually 140 years old).
10 year old Zeta even describes his body frequently, as being “slim” and “strongly built.” Many more descriptions follow, of Zeta referring to Marinus as “handsome” and “beautiful.” Further praise is made of his “powerful” physique and “flowing hair” and “clear blue eyes.” For example take this passage:
“Whether it was the grasp of his strong hands, or his gentle smile, or the look in those sea-blue eyes that were fixed upon hers, she did not know, but whatever it was, she felt relaxed…”
I could easily have assumed that the above passage was taken from a light romance novel. Why does Zeta keep describing the man’s “strength” constantly??
Marinus encourages Zeta to take swim lessons with him each morning, investing a ton of time into her. When Zeta goes for her first lesson and has doubts, he urges her to “Trust yourself to me.” He holds her hands as soon as she first gets in the water - yes, to help her swim, but still. He is also aware that Zeta is spending time with him against her parent’s permission, and encourages her to keep it a secret and lie to them. And even outside of their lessons together, Marinus is still keeping tabs on Zeta! He creepily knows all about her life, even including what she was served for dinner last night! He watches her constantly, whether she is walking on the beach with her parents or out on a boat. Zeta questions how he can possibly know so much about her, but she shuts down her own doubts, telling herself “He just knows these things.” Within 2 days of knowing each other, many behaviors between the pre-teen girl and the merman seem romantic, like something that lovers would do - for example, buying and gifting each other jewelry. And when Zeta asks Marinus if he will come back to the same sea next year, he says “Only if you do.” In the real world, obviously these enormous red flags would scream predator, but kids won’t get that impression at all in this story.
Based on the premise, I would not recommend that children read this. There are plenty of other great children’s books to choose from.
I read this book due to recognizing the author of two classic children’s novels, Babe and The Water Horse.
I found the writing pretty good - whimsical and engaging - but I simply could not get past the plot!
A little kid is being invited and encouraged to sneak out behind her parent’s backs, early each morning while they are asleep, in order to go have lessons alone with a grown man - or, merman. I know that this is intended to be an endearing kid’s book with friendship themes, but I kept cringing!
The merman, Marinus, is described by Zeta as being a younger man, presumably looking to be in his 20’s in 30’s, despite his white hair (he is actually 140 years old).
10 year old Zeta even describes his body frequently, as being “slim” and “strongly built.” Many more descriptions follow, of Zeta referring to Marinus as “handsome” and “beautiful.” Further praise is made of his “powerful” physique and “flowing hair” and “clear blue eyes.” For example take this passage:
“Whether it was the grasp of his strong hands, or his gentle smile, or the look in those sea-blue eyes that were fixed upon hers, she did not know, but whatever it was, she felt relaxed…”
I could easily have assumed that the above passage was taken from a light romance novel. Why does Zeta keep describing the man’s “strength” constantly??
Marinus encourages Zeta to take swim lessons with him each morning, investing a ton of time into her. When Zeta goes for her first lesson and has doubts, he urges her to “Trust yourself to me.” He holds her hands as soon as she first gets in the water - yes, to help her swim, but still. He is also aware that Zeta is spending time with him against her parent’s permission, and encourages her to keep it a secret and lie to them. And even outside of their lessons together, Marinus is still keeping tabs on Zeta! He creepily knows all about her life, even including what she was served for dinner last night! He watches her constantly, whether she is walking on the beach with her parents or out on a boat. Zeta questions how he can possibly know so much about her, but she shuts down her own doubts, telling herself “He just knows these things.” Within 2 days of knowing each other, many behaviors between the pre-teen girl and the merman seem romantic, like something that lovers would do - for example, buying and gifting each other jewelry. And when Zeta asks Marinus if he will come back to the same sea next year, he says “Only if you do.” In the real world, obviously these enormous red flags would scream predator, but kids won’t get that impression at all in this story.
Based on the premise, I would not recommend that children read this. There are plenty of other great children’s books to choose from.
September 4, 2018
As a mum, I wasn't so keen on the story as it's giving children an idea. That it's OK for them to sneak out the house while parent are asleep and meet stranger.
But apart from that R seamed to like the story line, I felt it wasn't going anywhere.
But apart from that R seamed to like the story line, I felt it wasn't going anywhere.
November 14, 2021
I’m really surprised this got published and can only assume it had to do with the success of this author’s other well-known work, Babe. The story just fails on a conceptual level, never mind the execution.
You see, the premise is that a ten year old girl repeatedly secretly meets up with a one hundred and forty year old merman for swimming lessons and miscellaneous bits of general education. I’m sorry, it’s really not great to have a story about a stranger adult (who her parents don’t know exists, by the way, AT HIS INSISTENCE) putting himself in a position of authority as a teaching figure and then coercing her to do things, including one thing she explicitly says she doesn’t want to do at first: swimming.
I don’t think that the merman Marinus is intentionally made out to be a foreboding figure, but he comes off that way. My eyebrows just about flew off my head when he repeatedly told the girl Zeta not to tell her parents about him (for no stated reason, not that that would have made it better). Similarly, I was aghast when she repeatedly reveled in her secret relationship with him.
Ironically, I watched Disney’s The Sword in the Stone earlier today, which also featured an old man character inserting himself into a child’s life with the intention of giving them an education. I didn’t get skeezed out by that relationship, which I thought was interesting. Just to be clear, Merlin isn’t perfect (he lets Arthur get assaulted by a squirrel, laughs it off, and sings about heteronormativity) but he didn’t ring nearly as many alarm bells.
I think there are some key differences between Merlin and Marinus:
-Merlin doesn’t hide himself from Arthur’s guardian and in fact goes out of his way to introduce himself to him. Marinus, again, does not want Zeta’s parents to know about him.
-Merlin wants to educate Arthur to give him more opportunities and to be a better person, Marinus wants to educate Zeta because he’s going to die soon, I guess, and she’s conveniently there?????
-Merlin isn’t portrayed as being super hot. Marinus is.
Yeah, this book repeatedly dwells on how handsome/beautiful Marinus is and hoo boy it’s weird. Friendly reminder he is a naked 140 year old merman with a young face/bod and we are in Zeta’s perspective.
The goodish parts are the fun facts that Marinus tells Zeta and the little adventures to go see a seal pup and the like. The illustrations are passable to good.
You see, the premise is that a ten year old girl repeatedly secretly meets up with a one hundred and forty year old merman for swimming lessons and miscellaneous bits of general education. I’m sorry, it’s really not great to have a story about a stranger adult (who her parents don’t know exists, by the way, AT HIS INSISTENCE) putting himself in a position of authority as a teaching figure and then coercing her to do things, including one thing she explicitly says she doesn’t want to do at first: swimming.
I don’t think that the merman Marinus is intentionally made out to be a foreboding figure, but he comes off that way. My eyebrows just about flew off my head when he repeatedly told the girl Zeta not to tell her parents about him (for no stated reason, not that that would have made it better). Similarly, I was aghast when she repeatedly reveled in her secret relationship with him.
Ironically, I watched Disney’s The Sword in the Stone earlier today, which also featured an old man character inserting himself into a child’s life with the intention of giving them an education. I didn’t get skeezed out by that relationship, which I thought was interesting. Just to be clear, Merlin isn’t perfect (he lets Arthur get assaulted by a squirrel, laughs it off, and sings about heteronormativity) but he didn’t ring nearly as many alarm bells.
I think there are some key differences between Merlin and Marinus:
-Merlin doesn’t hide himself from Arthur’s guardian and in fact goes out of his way to introduce himself to him. Marinus, again, does not want Zeta’s parents to know about him.
-Merlin wants to educate Arthur to give him more opportunities and to be a better person, Marinus wants to educate Zeta because he’s going to die soon, I guess, and she’s conveniently there?????
-Merlin isn’t portrayed as being super hot. Marinus is.
Yeah, this book repeatedly dwells on how handsome/beautiful Marinus is and hoo boy it’s weird. Friendly reminder he is a naked 140 year old merman with a young face/bod and we are in Zeta’s perspective.
The goodish parts are the fun facts that Marinus tells Zeta and the little adventures to go see a seal pup and the like. The illustrations are passable to good.
August 2, 2017
I kept waiting for a book about a ten-year-old girl who surreptitiously meets a 140-year-old merman for early morning adventures to get creepy, but it never did. Instead, it was a tender story about a young girl being awakened to the beauty of learning by an old guy with a fish tail.
Zeta vacations in Shetland with her parents every year. Mostly, it's a boring and dreary place, but one year she meets Marinus who teaches her to swim, shows her the local fauna, guides her through French vocabulary and grammar, and generally opens her eyes to the world.
Marinus could have been anything, really—a unicorn, a centaur, whatever. In The Merman, the titular character is just a metaphor for wonder. That the end is bittersweet shows that the author understands the ambivalence of growing up; that Zeta never stops believing in merpeople shows that a love of learning fostered early need not dissipate with age.
The prose is not flowery and the story is simple (though fantastic)—but it is quietly beautiful, a little sad, and great for adults and children alike. Roger Roth's illustrations perfectly capture the mood of the book, which is as ordinary and fanciful as childhood itself.
Zeta vacations in Shetland with her parents every year. Mostly, it's a boring and dreary place, but one year she meets Marinus who teaches her to swim, shows her the local fauna, guides her through French vocabulary and grammar, and generally opens her eyes to the world.
Marinus could have been anything, really—a unicorn, a centaur, whatever. In The Merman, the titular character is just a metaphor for wonder. That the end is bittersweet shows that the author understands the ambivalence of growing up; that Zeta never stops believing in merpeople shows that a love of learning fostered early need not dissipate with age.
The prose is not flowery and the story is simple (though fantastic)—but it is quietly beautiful, a little sad, and great for adults and children alike. Roger Roth's illustrations perfectly capture the mood of the book, which is as ordinary and fanciful as childhood itself.
Read
August 6, 2022I’m….conflicted.
Just read it to see if my 6 year old niece would like it. It is whimsical, innocent, discusses mermaids, and seems like an adorable story that a child could use to imagine a strange and wonderful summer vacation.
But.
Any adult who reads the book (as noted in the other reviews) can see potentially negative interpretations of the setup: a girl secretly sneaks off every morning to meet a man that she cannot tell her parents about. If it was a fairy, an animal, or even a mermaid, I don’t think there’d be many of these issues. But because it’s a shirtless guy living near the beach…yeah my adult brain does not like.
If I read this as a child, I don’t think I would be any more encouraged to befriend weird men. Stranger danger is strong, and I cannot imagine me shifting that perspective because of a merman book.
Still.
It’s one I have to run by my niece’s parents before I give it to her.
Just read it to see if my 6 year old niece would like it. It is whimsical, innocent, discusses mermaids, and seems like an adorable story that a child could use to imagine a strange and wonderful summer vacation.
But.
Any adult who reads the book (as noted in the other reviews) can see potentially negative interpretations of the setup: a girl secretly sneaks off every morning to meet a man that she cannot tell her parents about. If it was a fairy, an animal, or even a mermaid, I don’t think there’d be many of these issues. But because it’s a shirtless guy living near the beach…yeah my adult brain does not like.
If I read this as a child, I don’t think I would be any more encouraged to befriend weird men. Stranger danger is strong, and I cannot imagine me shifting that perspective because of a merman book.
Still.
It’s one I have to run by my niece’s parents before I give it to her.
August 5, 2025
Usually I have a good memory for when I read books, but I was so young for this one I can't pinpoint. Probably 10 or under, because after that I was almost 100% consumed by Star Wars and vampire books.
Upon re-reading, I can still see why it appealed to me as a kid. Zeta is curious, courageous, and respectful, three things I value highly. But I do have to wonder if little-me had a problem with the same thing I did: the lack of fantasy in this clearly fantastical book. It's almost like Marinus is Merlin to Zeta's Arthur, training her in French, astronomy, biology, etc. with no real delving into how merpeople work or exist. Perhaps the fact that it took me twenty years to remember it is because it's just not that exciting.
And I've never been fond of children's books that end with death. I refuse to believe that you can't show a character coming of age without killing the mentor. I'm glad I found this piece of my childhood...but also glad I just borrowed it from the library.
Upon re-reading, I can still see why it appealed to me as a kid. Zeta is curious, courageous, and respectful, three things I value highly. But I do have to wonder if little-me had a problem with the same thing I did: the lack of fantasy in this clearly fantastical book. It's almost like Marinus is Merlin to Zeta's Arthur, training her in French, astronomy, biology, etc. with no real delving into how merpeople work or exist. Perhaps the fact that it took me twenty years to remember it is because it's just not that exciting.
And I've never been fond of children's books that end with death. I refuse to believe that you can't show a character coming of age without killing the mentor. I'm glad I found this piece of my childhood...but also glad I just borrowed it from the library.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2023
Title: The Merman
Author: Dick King-Smith
Genre/Category: Fantasy
Date Finished: 16/10/23
**spoiler alert**
One moment I really liked in the book was when Zeta gave Marinus the cowrie necklace that reminded her of him. Their friendship meant a great deal to Zeta and she showed that to him as a gesture proving that. Friendship is a large theme in this novel and the author used that example to show how we give back to our friends. When Marinus accepted the gift he took the opportunity to teach her about that type of shell and what it means when he says: "The term gastropod comes from 2 Greek words, one meaning stomach, one meaning foot. A lovely present from a girl with a Greek name." These 2 friends were always giving back to each other in different ways as a sign of appreciation. These gestures were clearly always appreciated when we are told Marinus always wore the necklace from Zeta and even had it given back to her when he died. Friendships are often taken for granted, but just the little things that show you care and that you think about them can prove something big.
Author: Dick King-Smith
Genre/Category: Fantasy
Date Finished: 16/10/23
**spoiler alert**
One moment I really liked in the book was when Zeta gave Marinus the cowrie necklace that reminded her of him. Their friendship meant a great deal to Zeta and she showed that to him as a gesture proving that. Friendship is a large theme in this novel and the author used that example to show how we give back to our friends. When Marinus accepted the gift he took the opportunity to teach her about that type of shell and what it means when he says: "The term gastropod comes from 2 Greek words, one meaning stomach, one meaning foot. A lovely present from a girl with a Greek name." These 2 friends were always giving back to each other in different ways as a sign of appreciation. These gestures were clearly always appreciated when we are told Marinus always wore the necklace from Zeta and even had it given back to her when he died. Friendships are often taken for granted, but just the little things that show you care and that you think about them can prove something big.
January 3, 2025
Meh. I agree with a lot of the concerns about the relationship between Zeta and Marinus being uncomfortable/concerning for its secretive nature. I thought initially that this was a much older book due to the style, which I didn't find appealing. The characters seemed rather underdeveloped and geared toward a much younger audience than middle grade. Overall, I nearly didn't finish (it's barely 100 pgs) and took it back to the library without having my 7yo read it.
June 16, 2019
This book was 100 pages.
And my rating is 2.5 stars.
It’s not okay to sneak out in the middle of the night to see a stranger and it’s not okay to show off all because of some “knowledge” that someone taught you.
This story is okay.
The ending is original and not too bad. Zeta is old. Her parents are dead and she reflects on her adventures.
And my rating is 2.5 stars.
It’s not okay to sneak out in the middle of the night to see a stranger and it’s not okay to show off all because of some “knowledge” that someone taught you.
This story is okay.
The ending is original and not too bad. Zeta is old. Her parents are dead and she reflects on her adventures.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2019
I love Dick King Smith's stories, and I wish I had read this when I was a child. The ending is really heart warming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
April 17, 2021Reaches in and touches your heart. A warm and sad tale, showing how strong friendship can be.
June 27, 2025
Such a sweet fun book!
May 20, 2013
I definitely liked this book more than a 3 - there was something very positive about it, something that encouraged imagination and fantasy... but I was very troubled with the fact that a little girl (10) befriends a grown (mer)man simply because she senses that it's OK. He asks her to meet him early in the morning, when her parents are still asleep - and she goes... and then goes into the water with him, despite the fact that she doesn't know how to swim; trusting him completely. This is certainly not a message I want my kids to get... but then, it's a book, not reality... Perhaps it's a good way to start a discussion on personal safety. Also, you could understand why Zeta (the girl) would be drawn to a merman (simple because it is so novel) - but why would he want to spend time with her? Was he just bored? Did he feel he had some mission to do good for a human before he died? What was up with that? Anyway, it was a nice read & despite my issues with the book, I enjoyed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2009
I would give this book three and a half stars, and I seriously considered four.
I consider this story to be Dick King-Smith's best, at least among those that I have read. The feel is tremendously deep and resonant, and the writing style allows the reader to deeply feel Zeta's joy as she gets to know the magical merman Marinus, and also her sadness as the days of summer drift by, and she knows that she will have to say goodbye to her enchanting new friend at the end of the season.
The results are majestic and just a bit haunting, vaulting Dick King-Smith forward as a writer, in my view, immensely. I love this book, and it has made me think highly of the author. I highly, highly recommend "The Merman".
I consider this story to be Dick King-Smith's best, at least among those that I have read. The feel is tremendously deep and resonant, and the writing style allows the reader to deeply feel Zeta's joy as she gets to know the magical merman Marinus, and also her sadness as the days of summer drift by, and she knows that she will have to say goodbye to her enchanting new friend at the end of the season.
The results are majestic and just a bit haunting, vaulting Dick King-Smith forward as a writer, in my view, immensely. I love this book, and it has made me think highly of the author. I highly, highly recommend "The Merman".
March 13, 2011
This book wasn't my favorite out of Dick King-Smith's works. But it still gave me a sense of magic and fantasy like most of his books have. I started this a few days ago, but never continued it. Today, because I had nothing to do, I decided to go ahead and finish it. This book was a very quick read, seeing as it is for children.
Here we meet Zeta, a girl who's on vacation with her parents. She meets Marinus, a merman. He teaches Zeta many different things and shows her wonderful sights. It is a different kind of friendship, but a friendship all the same.
I didn't really feel anything while reading this book. I liked the glimpses we were given of marine beauty, here and there. But I only truly felt something during the ending, which was really quite beautiful.
Here we meet Zeta, a girl who's on vacation with her parents. She meets Marinus, a merman. He teaches Zeta many different things and shows her wonderful sights. It is a different kind of friendship, but a friendship all the same.
I didn't really feel anything while reading this book. I liked the glimpses we were given of marine beauty, here and there. But I only truly felt something during the ending, which was really quite beautiful.
October 2, 2016
I honestly didn't care for this story as much as I did The Water-Horse or Babe. It was rather boring. Zeta meets the merman and he basically turns her vacation into school. The book is only 100 pages long but it covers about two weeks of time, so it's somewhat rushed.
As far as parental warning, the merman teaches the girl about the Zodiac. Other than that, it's pretty innocent.
I actually think I found the final two chapters more interesting than the rest of the book. They were more emotional and magical. The rest of the book just fell flat.
As far as parental warning, the merman teaches the girl about the Zodiac. Other than that, it's pretty innocent.
I actually think I found the final two chapters more interesting than the rest of the book. They were more emotional and magical. The rest of the book just fell flat.
May 9, 2015
Lovely story about Zeta, a 10-year-old girl vacationing on the remote North Scotland coast where she meets a merman who becomes her friend and teacher, helping her learn everything from swimming to French. Zeta is a bird-watcher and always carries her binoculars, so there the birds of that area make an appearance, as well as seals and whale sharks. The ending made me tear up. King-Smith has a real gift. Logan loved this one.
February 24, 2015
I love these types of books, fun and adventurous! I had to read this book for my school reading homework and I read it in the first day because I loved the background story!
I'd say my friends would rate this book as a 3.5 or maybe a 3 if they read it, but I know that my rating: (5) is the right score. I am going to be doing more of these reviews from now on..
~Piec3
I'd say my friends would rate this book as a 3.5 or maybe a 3 if they read it, but I know that my rating: (5) is the right score. I am going to be doing more of these reviews from now on..
~Piec3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2016
I read this book when I was in like 3rd or 4th grade and back then I was completely enraptured by it. But now, I'm older, and know that were I to read this book today, It would not make it on my list of awesome books. I recommend it for younger age groups).
March 14, 2012
read this when I was a kid. a story of true friendship.
August 13, 2017
I really like this author for early chapter books.
June 3, 2015
This came as a set with a number of other Dick King-Smith books. Suited for readers aged 6-9.
June 20, 2015
(I did not read the story - I listened to this as an audiobook instead.)
February 23, 2016
While on vacation in Scotland on her tenth birthday, Zeta meets a wise, kindly old merman who teaches her not only to swim, but to do many more fascinating things.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews